Germanicus

Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC-10 October 19 AD) was a prominent general of the Roman Empire who served as Consul in 12 and 18 AD and commanded eight legions in a campaign of revenge against the Germanic tribes in Germania from 14 to 16 AD. He successfully incorporated Cappadocia and Commagene into the empire in 18 AD, but he died in Antioch in 19 AD during a feud with the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso. He was the father of Nero Julius Caesar, Drusus Caesar, Caligula, Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla, and Julia Livilla.

Biography
Germanicus Julius Caesar was born in Rome, Italia, Roman Empire on 24 May 15 BC, the son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor. He inherited his father's agnomen Germanicus, a name which he would ultimately live up to due to his own victories against the Germanic tribes; his father died in 9 BC. In 4 AD, he was adopted by Tiberius, Emperor Augustus' adoptive heir, and Germanicus became a quaestor in 7 AD, four years before the legal age of 25. That same year, he helped Tiberius suppress a rebellion by the Pannonians and Dalmatians in Illyricum, pacifying the Breuci. In 9 AD, he returned to Rome and was awarded with a triumphal insignia (without a triumph, postponed due to the disastrous Battle of Teutoburg Forest) and the rank (not the title) of praetor.

Military campaigns
In 11 AD, as proconsul, Germanicus and Tiberius were dispatched to Germania to defend the empire, which had been severely defeated at Teutoburg Forest two years earlier. From 11 to 12 AD, in alliance with the Marcomanni, father and son prevented the Germans from crossing the Rhine and invading either Gaul or Italy. In 12 AD, Germanicus was appointed Consul back in Rome, and, on 23 October 12 AD, he finally celebrated a triumph for his victory over the Breuci. In 13 AD, Augustus appointed him commander of the forces on the Rhine, totalling eight legions (a third of the Roman Army). He negotiated an end to a mutiny by keeping the 20 years of service, but reducing the expectations of soldiers to simply fighting in battles after 16 years. Germanicus paid his legions out of his own pockets, returning the armies to order and securing their loyalty. He massacred villages of Germans along the upper Ruhr and pillaged the surrounding territory. For the next two years, he campaigned against the Germans, sacking the Chatti capital of Mattium in the spring of 15 AD. He also launched an offensive against the Cherusci, making his way into their heartland before withdrawing after an inconclusive battle at Pontes Longi which cost him 15,000 of his 30,000 troops. In 16 AD, he launched his last major campaign against the Cherusci chief Ariminus, commanding eight legions with Gallic and Germanic auxiliary units. In the Battle of Idistaviso, he defeated a German alliance under Ariminus, who was wounded. For ten miles, the ground was littered with corpses and weapons. At the Angrivarian Wall, the Romans repelled a German attack and exterminated their prisoners. He then sent 36,000 troops to march against the Chatti as he, for the third time, devastated the upper Ruhr tribes. He recovered Legio XIX's three lost eagles from the Germans, making him very popular among his troops and the Roman people. Tiberius invited him back to Rome, where he was granted a triumph and assigned a different command.

Later years
Tiberius decided that the conquest of Germania Magna would be too much effort for too little profit, as it was a wild territory of forests and swamps with little wealth; however, the campaign had successfully avenged the defeat at Teutoburg Forest. In 17 AD, he celebrated his triumph in Rome, and, in 18 AD, he was placed in charge of the eastern part of the empire as consul. He installed King Artaxias III in Armenia and organized Cappadocia and Commagene as provinces. In 18 AD, he began a quarrel with the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, who had failed to send troops to Armenia when ordered. In January 19 AD, Germanicus entered famine-stricken Aegyptus without permission, and, when he returned to Syria, Piso had revoked his orders to the cities and legions. Germanicus fell ill during the dispute, having been poisoned by Martina on the orders of Livia and Tiberius; Germanicus had been the only one to prevent Rome from falling into complete tyranny under Tiberius and Sejanus.